The Importance of Fallujah

Much has been made of the fact that many terrorists, probably including the leaders like Zarqawi, fled Fallujah before the US assault and that therefore taking Fallujah will not mean much. Ralph Peters addresses some of those concerns.

By fleeing without fighting to the death as they promised they would, the terror-masters discredited themselves. After Coalition leaders lost their nerve last April, the terrorists portrayed themselves as having faced down America's military might. This time, they ran away, leaving untrained recruits to take the bullet-train to paradise.

The swift fall of Fallujah is not only a practical disaster for the terrorists, but a massive loss of face for them throughout the Muslim world.

He is probably right that the symbolic value of retaking Fallujah is a critical aspect of the fight against the insurgents in Iraq. Arab culture is heavily steeped in symbolism, and showing them once again that the US military can do what it wills with those insurgents is an important victory.